Originally Posted by t2p

double sweet - super job !

only thing I'm adverse to is shortening the steerer - once you cut you can't get it back !

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Originally Posted by RiddleOfSteel

Man if it ain't broke...

I cut 20mm off the steerer, swapped V-brakes, and put on larger rings. It's down to 20.3x lbs, and that's after putting lighter wheels and tires (slightly smaller) to get it to 20.0 lbs on the nose, but it just didn't have the life that it did with these DT Swiss wheels and larger 42mm Soma tires. 53/39 chainrings for bombing down hills do gear me up, but look super legit and I don't spin out on long downhills, which was a goal. The TRP mini-Vs from a different build hug the 42s really well. I dropped a little weight with them, but they look the business, stop well, and really complement the componentry. Long wheelbase, big roll-over-anything tires, comfortable critical components, light weight and lively, killer looks--what more does a guy need? Cool part is that one can replicate this for a ton cheaper (and a pound or two more in weight, still light!) if they just chuck some R3000 Sora on it and bump to bigger tires!

Glam shot. In real life, it's even more of a butch-yet-sleek road bike+. Love it.

You can get equal performance from other, much cheaper mini-V brakes and normal-length V-brakes that weigh nearly or essentially the same, but they won't look as hot as these. At least to me. [not that the stock FX V-brakes looked bad--they looked totally fine!]


Best looking modern crankset, IMO. Still. Looked great with the 50/34 combo, but stepping up to the 53/39 was almost intimidating as it now looked like a Real Road Bicycle crankset that I better have a worthy frame to hang it off of. Gulp.

Ultegra 6800 11-32T cassette run by a standard Dura-Ace 9000 rear derailleur with a 6800 GS cage setup. Don't be worried about making it work, people! Also, I show this as, to keep the new chain clean, I cleaned not only the faces of each cog, but the flats of every single tooth/valley between the teeth. This is the, maybe, second time I have ever gone to that length to clean a freewheel/cassette. I am glad it's over!

Originally Posted by Krabix

Hi, I'd just like to say how interesting and useful a read this was for someone in a similar situation with a 7.3 FX.

A bit of a newbie question, but would having only a 17.5" frame size and tyres with some tread make that clearance too little on 700c X 42? I was looking at Continental Contact Plus tyres.
Maybe those things don't affect the gaps but I wanted to make sure.

Originally Posted by RoadWearier

Just out of curiosity, how much did the bike plus rebuild cost all in?

Originally Posted by sh00k

as a lover of trek fx's (i have 2 now, have owned 4 in total previously), i love what you've done to this thing! i have hated the brakes on every single trek bike i owned including a higher end trek fx 7.7. they're so bad and always catching the wheel. these look more pro! your reviews of the brakes so far....?

Originally Posted by RoadWearier

Just out of curiosity, how much did the bike plus rebuild cost all in?

Originally Posted by RiddleOfSteel

To answer your question: no, I did not say/do not think that. You took a select portion out of a paragraph that was dealing with a larger topic and then applied them to a gravel application that I never spoke of or alluded to. Granted, that second sentence (which was really a fragment) is incomplete, which is an unfortunate product of a million thoughts not coming out in order/coherently. Sorry about that.

Anyway, let's start with an empty table here and put some basic things on it so we can all start at a common premise:

1) One can make a steel frame really nice or really harsh. One can make an aluminum frame really nice or really harsh. One can make a carbon frame really nice or really harsh/dead.
2) Some riders can be sensitive to how a bike feels. Other riders either don't care or can't tell differences in bike feel. A bunch of other people are somewhere in the middle in that regard. And then there is preference and tolerance on top of that.
3) There are wheelsets that are heavy but decent feeling. There are wheelsets that are heavy and brutal. There are light wheelsets that are harsh/brutal. There are light wheelsets that feel great.
4) There are Apocalypse-Ready Anti-Puncture 9,000,000 Quintuple Marathon TPS 8.750 Dual Iron Rhino XXXXXL Hunny Bun Pass tires out there that do their job well but are as heavy as a battleship and ride like a brick. On the other end are tubulars. Near those tubulars are supple, light tires of larger than race bike volume.

This is all to say that there are considerable variables when it comes to the frame, the components, and the rider. You could add saddles in there as well as major factors that give a certain range of experiences. Heck, put proper fitment in there, too. I do not know your riding history or style or preferences outside of what you've just told me, so I can't prescribe a specific solution. However, I have built and ridden many bikes from road/race to sport touring to touring to gravel, and am pretty tuned in to both obvious and subtle characteristics.

A solid steel frame with proper/relaxed geometry, sturdy wheels, and beefy tires will probably feel reassuring and steady on gravel (or road) due in large part to the weight of the bike and its handling characteristics. Will it be fast or spritely? Not likely unless you're a beast or like rocking down hill at speed. Heavier bikes have their place and have plenty of benefits, as do lighter bikes that can flit and glide over the rough stuff (or road surface).

I like your ideal intersection of gravel, touring, and endurance. It's about where I am as well. Kinda like bikes long ago, haha. A good vintage touring bike is plenty durable, with good geometry for loads and for unloaded descents. The gravel/endurance element is taken care of by generous tire clearances. A number of vintage sport touring bikes have shorter wheelbases, but still decent tire clearances. I know there is an Endurance road bike category, but until very recently, and with disc, they never really allowed tires over 28mm, which when coupled with the marginally longer wheelbase, didn't seem like an honest effort. The original hybrids took touring and mountain geometry elements and have evolved since then.

The FX and others like it (that can clear big tires) are an excellent option because you can put smaller tires on it and it won't feel slow, as well as put larger tires on it and greatly increase comfort and capability over uneven terrain (they also won't be slow if they have supple casings). If you had to change one element on a bike you have and like, or want to get, to increase comfort and capability, regardless of frame material, in my opinion and experience it would be the tires (and resulting appropriate pressure settings). A change in tire size can move the needle on bike feel/comfort significantly. You can help the frame material component out by paying for a nicer one or a different one, but tires will be a faster and cheaper change. Do you need a Compass/Rene Herse offering at $90+ a tire? If you want. You can get halfway there with a Pasela for what, $35? Or most of the way there with a Soma Supple Vitesse EX like I have (was $54 when I bought new ones, now $65 or so). Crappy tires on cars suck, and we know this. The same is true for bikes.

Glass smooth roads make every bike feel like a hero. Crummy roads or rough gravel require a different solution, and large tires (and the ability to fit them on/in one's bike) do wonders on that front. A Davidson Impulse or a vintage Colnago etc will be amazing on smooth roads, but will bring one to their knees over the rough stuff. Those are top-shelf steel bikes, but can only fit 25-28mm tires. Tubulars and high quality clincher tires ease the hits, but those race bikes are going to be jackhammers, and those steel frames will not be able to rescue their rider. Enter in the FX, a bike decidedly not for racing or fast/competitive riding, made of aluminum largely, with a steel or aluminum fork in most cases, but there it goes on 38mm tires, not bludgeoning its rider to death over bad roads. Put 25s on it and it's as bad as the steel offerings, but go back to the big stuff and it's a much better place to be.

Originally Posted by Heezil

I just picked up a nice 7.3 FX that is set up to ride much more upright and I plan to install a front loading baby carrier. The previous owner installed 28mm gator skins which are fast but make for a stiff ride. What is the widest tire that you recommend for the stock bontrager nebula 6000 series (622x15) wheels? I'm looking to add a little cushion without messing up the handing.